This is a little suggestion for mesmer weapon capabilities. First, there is something that I just have to say in regard to on mesmer weapon choice.
It is understood that your “main hand” is your stronger hand, like being right handed typically means you are more capable with your right or “main hand” than you would with your left, or “off hand”. By this reason, what logical reasoning does it make sense for someone to only be able to use a firearm, such as a pistol, with only their off hand, and not allowing it to be used in their main hand. That is saying that a right handed person would hold no capable ability to use a firearm in their right hand, but has enough skill to use it with their left hand to be a viable choice. It makes no sense, and puzzles me to no end.
Such is the case with mesmers. They can only equip pistols in their off hand. Yes, it is a good off hand weapon, and yes it has just as many pros as cons, but the logic behind it is still broken. They can equip a sword in either hand, yet can only use a pistol with their off hand. Perhaps the developers just didn’t want three classes able to dual wield pistols. Why, then, allow them the use of one at all?
Perhaps a reason is more simple. Perhaps a move set for a main hand pistol that wasn’t exploitable or too overpowered couldn’t be created to allow a main hand pistol. No fault or offense intended to the developers, they have an incredibly difficult job as is, and I by no means intend to sound like a whining tripe.
Anyway, on to the actual suggestion. Yes, it’s a rather heavy suggestion, as it’d require an entire remapping of a class’s move set, but it would make the class seem less awkward and not have the gaping plot hole that stares players in the face. My suggestion is: Allow mesmers to wield a pistol in their main hand as well as off hand.
If this suggestion were to actually be considered, then I also have a suggestion for this suggestion. (Insert “Inception” joke here). As this would bear three new attacks, they should hold true to the typical mesmer one-hand weapons abilities. One attack either stacks Vulnerability on the target and/or removes a boon. Another causes either a cripple or a daze. Finally, one creates a clone to be fodder for the Shatter abilities. I believe that the following would be a fair suggestion for the three attacks:
1. Similar to the sword main hand ability, the first shot places a stack of Vulnerability, the second shot places another stack of Vulnerability and removes one boon, and the third and final shot in the sequence removes another boon and deals a percentage higher damage than the previous two shots.
2. Fire a fan of shots, dealing moderate damage and giving each target struck Cripple.
3. Create a clone who will use the first ability, like the clone created from both the sword and scepter clone creation abilities. They do no damage, and are meant to be fuel for Shatter abilities.